Reviewed by Brian Kushnir
Released: 1981 Cooper Brothers Learning To Live With It Genre: Canadian Soft Southern Rock Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Highlights: Come Back Baby You Live Just A Little Learning To Live With It Rules Of The Road If you were having a 1973 themed party, serving things like three cheese fondue, Ritz mock apple pie, and spinach souffle, you could throw about half of this on in the background. The other half would work on the soundtrack of the next edition of the “Cars” franchise, or on “Yellowstone” during a honky tonk scene. Cooper Brothers are a unit from Ottawa, Canada that in the 70s were originally signed to Capricorn Records (home of the Allman Brothers). You had to have some chops to be on Capricorn, so it is no surprise that these are some finely crafted, well-played if innocuous little ditties. Les Emmerson (late of Five Man Electrical Band, “Signs,” etc.) joined the brothers Cooper for this album and handles most of the lead vocals. All the playing and singing is aces, the solos (on guitar, sax, and flute) are all tasteful, brief, and to the point. And there is lyrical craft on display, though the words often land like phrases swiped from the inside of Hallmark cards: “You live just a little but you’re dead for a long long time,” “If my heart only knew what I knew you’d be gone,” “the girl will break your heart in style,” “you’ve got trouble written all over you,” “learning to live with the heartache.” That said, the songs are neat and tidy and go down easy, so if this (mishmash of soft country fried rockers that would fit right in on a Stagecoach side-stage combined with easy listening just perfect for kicking back in a dentist chair) is your type of thing, you may have found yourself a new guilty pleasure. Pass the rumaki!
No comments:
Post a Comment